Research Interests

My research focuses on the neural circuits that underlie drug addiction using, predominantly,
behavioral, pharmacological and neurochemical approaches. The principle drug
of interest is cocaine. The primary behavioral model is behavioral sensitization,
which is the enhanced locomotor response that occurs with repeated, intermittent
drug exposure. Behavioral sensitization is a useful model for drug-induced neural
plasticity that is though to underlie craving and relapse. Additional behavioral
models include conditioned place preference and drug self-administration. The
circuit under investigation is the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. Specifically
recent studies have examined on how cocaine exposure alters the regulation of
neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex that project to the nucleus accumbens and
ventral tegmental area. In particular, the impact of cocaine on dopamine, glutamate
and GABA modulation of cortical neurons is being examined at the neurotransmitter
and receptor levels.

These studies involve the use of in vivo microdialysis to monitor neurotransmitter
release and pharmacological agents to examine receptor
function. In addition, to these procedures, other techniques employed in my
lab include western blotting, radioenzymatic assays such as the measurement of protein
kinase C activity and transporter assays. In addition, I encourage members
of my research team to develop multidisciplinary projects that can include collaboration
with other labs to expand the number of techniques available to them.